470 BOTANY 



ing families, but frequently have narrow, two-ranked, equitant leaves. 

 The flowers are usually large and showy; the fruit is a loculicidal capsule. 



Representative Genera. — Iris, with rhizome, and equitant, sword-shaped 

 leaves and petaloid stigmas ; Crocus, with tuberous rhizome, and linear leaves (not 

 equitant) ; Gladiolus, with zygomorphic flowers. 



Geographical Distribution. — Like the Liliaceae, the Iridoxeae are particularly 

 abundant in Southern Africa. Various species of Iris, Crocus, Gladiolus are culti- 

 vated as ornamental plants. 



Officinal. — Iris germanica, I. pallida, and /. florentina, all Mediterranean 

 species, supply Orris Root, Rhizoma Iridis. The stigmas of Crocus sativus 

 (cultivated in different localities in the East) yield Saffron or Crocus. 



To the Liliiflorae belong also the following families : — Sioscoreaceae, Yam 

 family, dioecious, small-flowered, twining plants which differ only in habit from 

 the Amaryllidaceae. Haemodoraceac, Bloodwort family, differing from the 

 Amaryllidaceae in the suppression of the outer whorl of the andrcecium. 

 Ilromeliaceae, Pine-Apple family, for the most part epiphytic herbs with stiff, 

 sword-shaped leaves forming a rosette, from the centre of which springs a flower- 

 stalk, in most instances, with red bracteal leaves and flowers aggregated into 

 compact racemes. The perianth is differentiated into calyx and corolla. The 

 Bromeliaceae all grow in America, chiefly in the Tropics, where they live partly as 

 epiphytes on trees, and partly terrestrial in the clefts of rocks. To the latter 

 class belongs Ananassa sativa, whose inflorescence constitutes the fruit familiarly 

 known as Pine-apple. 



Order 2. Enantioblastae 



Flowers hypogynous, often reduced ; ovules atropous ; embryo lying out- 

 side of the mealy albumen. 



The Enantioblastae are grass-like or herbaceous plants, with small inconspicuous 

 flowers, constructed according to the regular Monocotyledonous type or more 

 or less reduced, and usually aggregated in compact inflorescences. 



This order inhabits principally the Tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. It 

 comprises chiefly the families Centrolepidaceae, Bcstiaceae, Eriocaulaceae, 

 Xyridaceae, and Commelinaceae. Some Commelinaceae, especially various species 

 of Tradescantia, are cultivated as ornamental plants. 



Order 3. Spadieiflorae 



Flowers hypogynous, usually DICLINOUS, actinomorphic, fre- 

 quently reduced. Inflorescence, a spadix or compound spike, 

 with one ok more spathes (large sheathing bracts) at the base. 



The Spadieiflorae comprise herbaceous and woody plants of dis- 

 similar appearance but with inflorescences of uniform structure. 

 While in the Liliiflorae the flowers are either solitary or loosely 

 aggregated in small numbers, so that each flower retains its individual 

 prominence, in the Spadieiflorae they are only subordinate members 

 of a compact, highly organised inflorescence which, when the spathe is 

 corollaceous, is commonly mistaken for a single flower {e.g. Calla, 

 Bichardia aethiopica). In accordance with the inconspicuous part 



